A MASTERFUL PLAYMAKER WITH EXCEPTIONAL FINISH, BUDDY O’CONNOR AVERAGED ALMOST A POINT A GAME OVER THE COURSE OF HIS SIX SEASONS IN MONTREAL.

According to conventional wisdom, 5-foot-7, 142-pound Herbert “Buddy” O’Connor was too small to play in the rough-and-tumble NHL. The Montreal native proved the experts wrong, playing six stellar seasons with the Canadiens to begin his Hall of Fame career.

Initially settling for a spot with the QSHL’s Montreal Royals, the speedy center set the league afire for seven years before finally getting a shot at the big time with the Habs in 1941-42.

The 25-year-old rookie made the most of his opportunity. Playing with familiar Royals linemates Gerry Heffernan and Pete Morin, both small and speedy wingmen, the trio was dubbed the “Razzle Dazzle Line” for their high-speed mastery of offensive hockey.

While Morin and Heffernan’s careers were short, O’Connor established himself as one of the most entertaining and talented players in the game. A masterful stickhandler and powerful skater who could control the puck as well with his skates as with his stick, O’Connor often wove his way through entire opposing teams.

In his first three seasons with the Canadiens, the newcomer accumulated over 100 assists, lifting fans from their seats with his artistry before dishing the puck to teammates who almost invariably redirected it to the back of the net.

O’Connor knew how to light the lamp himself too, regularly hitting double figures. In 1944-45, he scored 21 times, his best season in a Habs uniform.

The classy center played a part in the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup Championships in both 1944 and 1946. He was dealt to the New York Rangers after the 1946-47 campaign in a trade that saw three Blueshirts head the other way.

O’Connor saw first-line ice time with the Rangers in 1947-48 and made good use of every moment. He responded with 24 goals and 60 points – both career bests – and became as big a favorite at Madison Square Garden as he had been in Montreal. His exploits earned him both the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, as well as the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship combined with superior play.

After four years on Broadway, O’Connor played his last full season with the Cincinnati Mohawks of the IHL, retiring at the outset of the 1952-53 season.

O’Connor died in 1977 and was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.